Dog owners may find Davis to be a welcoming yet sometimes frustrating place as the city tries to mediate the needs of dog owners with the desires of other community members. Over the past decade this has elicited volatile (some say "lively") debate at City Council meetings and in letters to The Davis Enterprise. Newcomers to Davis should be aware that heartworm and fleas are problems in the area, and most dogs are on some sort of preventative medication; foxtails and filaree are other fairly frequent problems for dogs that enjoy running through open fields. This page is intended to provide a home for dog owners and those who simply want to enjoy other people's dogs on occasion. And please be kind to others... pick up after your pooch.

In September 2003 the Recreation & Park Commission unanimously voted to update the Parks & Recreation Facilities master plan to include: standards for dog run areas, standards for dog parks, proposed locations for dog parks and proposed locations for new dog run areas.

In August 2011, DDOG member Susan Bennett and her dog Ellie Mae were chosen as one team of 15 finalists in the Beneful Dream Dog Park Contest. The grand prize winner of this contest will win $500,000 toward developing their dream dog park. In this case, Sue and Ellie Mae want to put the money toward developing the 35 acre Bark Park at Grasslands Park on Mace Blvd., three miles south of Davis. They have made it to Round 2 of the contest, the community was encouraged to register and vote daily until September 8 (link broken). The public vote counts for 10 percent of the final score. The Beneful Dream Team will also judge the finalist entries, representing 90 percent of the final score to help select the grand prize winner. We need(ed) your votes!

The Future

In December 2003 the Davis City Council unanimously agreed to work with Yolo County on jointly developing a dog park at the county's Grasslands Park on Mace Blvd., three miles south of Davis. This agreement was in exchange for 33 acres acquired by the City of Davis as habitat mitigation for Mace Ranch — they pledged to provide parity for the estimated loss of land value by providing, among other things, $45,000-$50,000 for a 35 acre Bark Park at the southwest corner of park. Included in this pledge by the city was provision for perimeter chain link fencing, entrance gates, a ten-vehicle parking lot and water access. Additional Bark Park funding has already been provided through Proposition 12 and work was expected to begin by spring 2005.

Toad Hollow Dog Park, though closed during the rainy season, is a popular gathering spot for Davis dogs & owners. Note: dog runs are areas within existing city parks that are fenced and less than half an acre

Edna's Playground at the VMTH is a fenced off Agility course dog park at the University (so, not a city park)

Leash Areas

Most parts of Davis and UC Davis outside designated off-leash areas are open to dog walkers, as long as your pet is on leash. However, some are nicer than others if you're looking for a pleasant place to stroll with your dog.

Newsbeat - Well-behaved dogs are welcome to visit this establishment and may pick up a cookie from the front desk; the owners, Janice & Terrence, are a great source of information about local dog politics

Restaurants with full wait service

From DogFriendly.com: According to Susan Strong, a representative of the California Department of Health Services (CDHS), Food and Drug Branch, "(pet) dogs are allowed throughout California at any outdoor dining areas unless they have to walk through the inside of a restaurant to get to the outdoor seats." It does not matter if food is served outside or taken out by the customer, or if the seats are located on a patio, sidewalk, or in a fenced area as long as there is access through an outside gate or opening. The California law is set by statute which was last updated in 1986. In addition, the California statute forbids counties or cities from making these codes stricter. Of course, it is still the prerogative of a restaurant owner to choose whether or not to allow dogs in their outdoor seating area, but the choice lies with the owner, not the city or county. Notwithstanding the state law, even in California, restaurants will sometimes cite local health codes in not allowing dogs at their outdoor seating areas. In some cases, the restaurant owner may be trying to shift the "blame" so that customers with dogs in tow will not be upset with the restaurant. In other cases, the local health inspector may be misapplying the interpretation of the California statute.

Most places with outdoor seating tend to allow patrons to sit with or near to their dogs. This is a list of places that welcome pedestrian-friendly dogs to share their outdoor seating with their owners.

Many apartment complexes in Davis allow you to keep one dog when accompanied by a hefty deposit — please verify deposits and stipulations on individual pages. To quickly see the locations of these apartments, see this Google map There are new laws on the books regarding 'Companion Animals', these are not just for the blind or disabled, if you can show that your pet is necessary for your emotional health, many complexes that would normally not allow pets are now required to make concessions. This varies from complex to complex in town. But it's always worth asking if their complex allows Companion Animals, and what kind of proof they need that the animal is a Companion Animal. (please update if you make changes below!).

Vet Med Teaching Hospital's Canine Genetics Unit was soliciting DNA samples to create a "comprehensive genetic repository that represents all of 'dogdom'." (Solicitation not found, January 2014.) They currently have about 100 breeds represented, and will provide a free postage-paid sample collection kit for those breeds not yet represented.

The UC Davis Veterinary Blood Bank is always seeking dogs over 55 pounds (as well as other animals) to donate blood. As "payment", dog owners receive results of various disease/condition screenings, and each dog receives a goody bag of treats. Check out this UCD News bulletin for more info.

Hikes & Romps Outside Davis

This is why some of us have dogs! Morgan Territory offers acres of leash-free heaven. Most national and state parks either do not allow dogs or restrict them to leashes in campgrounds. Despite the best efforts of the Sierra Club there are, however, some exceptions including beautiful hikes within a couple hours of Davis. As a general rule of thumb, both the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service better serve the needs of dog-owning visitors than park services. Another good source of information is DogFriendly.com's California Dog Travel Guide, which lists places to hike with your dog as well as places to stay, etc. (The Lake Tahoe section of the guide is particularly detailed).

This section lists some regional areas where you can hike with your dog, but please be sure to find out specific regulations... some restrictions apply, especially when local water sources are located within the area. Poison oak can be ubiquitous in lower elevations of California, and though your dog may not end up itching s/he can easily transfer the oils to you. You can help encourage the inclusion of dogs in our parks by ensuring that your puppy is well-mannered and packs out his poop.

Dogs are part of the suborder Caniformia (along with bears, sea lions and many others). So enjoy your Californian Caniformian.

Castle Peak in the Tahoe National Forest offers water features, a variety of hikes from less than an hour to multi-day, and is about 90min up Interstate 80 across from the Boreal Ridge ski resort; National Geographic publishes a couple excellent trail maps of the area

Dog Parks

Granite Regional Park [Ramona Avenue off Power Inn Road] is a 2 acre City of Sacramento dog park open daily 5am-10pm.

Natomas Dog Park or Bannon Creek Park [Azevedo Drive near the corner of West El Camino Ave.] in Sacramento is a .6 acre City of Sacramento gated dog park

Partner Park [5699 South Land Park Dr., 277-6060] was the City of Sacramento's first dog park and is 2 acres large! Named for a canine officer killed in the line of duty, it is open 5am-10pm and is located within Cooledge Park at the intersection of Fruitridge Road and Land Park Drive.

Point Isabel Dog Park in Richmond is the largest off leash dog park in the nation and includes hiking trails as well as access to the bay

Health Care

Note: If you've just adopted a mixed breed puppy/dog and it as yet has no papers from any agency identifying the breed, you may want to consider "registering" it by the least problematic breed in its genes, e.g. if you have a Pit Bull-sharpei mix, you might just want to register it as a sharpei mix at your first vet visit. That way, if you need to get insurance or a rental lease, you're less likely to be discriminated against based upon your dog's breed. Veterinarians today electronically register all dogs with the county once they've been vaccinated against rabies. Letting your vet know how you'd like your dog's breed identified can save you much grief down the road.

Vaccination/Spay Clinics

Yolo County does not offer low cost spay/neuter clinics to the general public, but Sacramento SPCA may be willing to extend its low cost spay/neuter services to Yolo County residents depending upon current demand from their constituency. If you have a Pit Bull or Pit-mix there is a free spay/neuter program (this is also offered in other counties). For a recording of current Sacramento area low cost spay/neuter clinics, contact Sacramento Area Animal Coalition [916.808.SPAY].

Spay Day is an annual event where families or individuals earning less than $35,000 per year are eligible to have up to two pets (cats and dogs only) spayed or neutered at participating veterinary clinics. For $15 per cat and $20 per dog, each animal will receive about $250 worth of services.

Pet Waste Disposal

Recommended Reading

This is the only first aid book you'll probably ever need for your dog. While it definitely doesn't replace an emergency visit to the vet, it will get you to the point where you can decide if something is life-threatening or not. It's also an exceptionally easy to read book despite its thickness and content. Should you pick up this book, and can remember only one thing, learn how to identify when your dog is going into shock and how to treat until you can get emergency care. Somebody needs to write something this complete and concise for humans! —AlphaDog

The Monks of New Skete support their community by raising German shepherds and by training dogs — they've been at it for over thirty years and their training methods are praised in many dog circles.

I've used the New Skete methods on my dogs and while I can't say they were 'perfect,' they were typically commended on their manners and were exceptionally trustworthy unless they'd eaten old chicken eggs they'd found in the yard. —AlphaDog

ASPCA Poison Control Center provides information on substances that can be toxic to your pet, including ornamental plants, critters, pesticides, meds and even toilet bowl water! After reading this site, you'll almost definitely want to pick up the Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook reviewed above.